Plans are being drawn up for £225 million, five-year partnership bringing together industry, academia and government to help ensure the 海角视频’s future infrastructure programmes are the best in the world.
Industry leaders such as AECOM, Arcadis, Arup, Atkins, Mace, Mott MacDonald and WSP are backing the plan, which is supported by Loughborough University, University of Salford and University College London.
The aim is to take the construction consultancy sector to the next level, harnessing the digital revolution on the way.
It is proposed that the funding is split three ways between the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Innovate 海角视频 and the private sector.
In the long-term it is hoped that improving efficiency in planning out the nation’s infrastructure will deliver long-term solutions for government – from unlocking productivity, to unleashing regional growth and delivering a carbon neutral society.
More than 25 consultancy industry leaders have written to construction minister Nadhim Zahawi outlining their support for the plan, called the Consultancy Sector Futures Institute.
They have also asked the government to demonstrate its own commitment with an announcement at the upcoming Budget.
The institute would be modelled on 海角视频 Catapults already operating in other sectors - and which make up a network of world-leading technology centres designed to transform the 海角视频's capability for innovation.
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The institute will be co-developed by members of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), working with academic partners including Loughborough University in the Midlands and the University of Salford in the North West.
Together they will oversee an industry-wide change programme for consultancy businesses based on research from ACE’s Future of Consultancy campaign.
Working with industry, clients and academia, the institute will focus on developing the future skills and sustainable consultancy business models that it hopes will drive the industry forward.
It will also try to harness the power of emerging technology and open data to encourage industry-wide collaboration for a more productive construction sector and society.
This will be achieved by working with clients on demonstrator projects to showcase different ways of working using new technology, digital solutions and data in decision making and design to meet society's changing needs.
Hannah Vickers, chief executive of ACE, said: “With our industry on the brink of the fourth industrial revolution, the institute will help every consultancy transition successfully – from the largest global firms to the most specialist SMEs.
“This programme will build on our current position as world leaders and set a new global standard for consultancy and engineering in the built environment.
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“For the government, our enhanced capability will mean progress on some of the most difficult questions society faces.
“For example, using design to tackle the underlying factors contributing to complex social deprivation, low regional growth and delivering a net zero society.”
Commenting on the proposal, Paul Reilly, chair of ACE and the managing director of infrastructure and buildings at c onstruction consultancy Stantec, said: “As an industry we share a passion for wanting to create great places for people, connect them together and build sustainable communities.
“This coming together of the industry to support long term objectives in skills and innovation, overcoming our natural competitive tendencies, shows the strength of belief we collectively have in the ambitions of this programme.
“There are great benefits to delivering a better built environment for our clients and for wider society.”